149th Kentucky Derby Betting - Horse Racing Odds

149th Kentucky Derby Betting

Kentucky Derby Horse Racing Betting

The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 6th has two Todd Pletcher horses listed as the top two betting choices, as Forte is listed at morning-line odds of 3-1, while Tapit Trice is listed at 5-1. If you want to bet either of these horses before Saturday’s race, or any other Kentucky Derby horse, you can bet them right now. If you happen to like one of the two favorites, you can get better than the morning-line odds, as Forte is listed at +345 at BookMaker, while Tapit Trice is +706. Forte has won his last five races including last month’s Florida Derby. The favorite in the Kentucky Derby has won 35% of the time in Kentucky Derby history, but that doesn’t mean longshots can’t win, as Rich Strike shocked the world last year, winning at Kentucky Derby odds of 80-1. Tapit Trice drew post position No. 5 which has produced the most winners in Kentucky Derby history. Post time for the 2023 Kentucky Derby on Saturday on NBC is 6:57 p.m. Eastern Time.

Kentucky Derby Betting Lines

2023 Kentucky Derby At a Glance

Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023, 6:57 PM ET

Location: Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY

Length: 1 1/4 miles ( 10 furlongs ), dirt track

Purse: Approximately $3 million

Kentucky Derby TV Coverage: NBC

2023 Kentucky Derby Odds at BookMaker

Forte +345

Tapit Trice +706

Angel of Empire +1016

Practical Move +1016

Derma Sotogake +1217

Kingsbarns +1417

Confidence Game +1618

Verifying +1618

Skinner +1819

Two Phils +1819

Mage +2306

Jaces Road +3261

Hit Show +3650

Disarm +4050

Rocket Can +4050

Reincarnate +4550

Raise Cain +5050

Lord Miles +6050

Continuar +6050

Sun Thunder +6050

2023 Kentucky Derby Field

(Post Position, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, Morning Line Odds)

1. Hit Show, Brad Cox, Manny Franco, 30-1

2. Verifying, Brad Cox, Tyler Gaffalione, 15-1

3. Two Phil’s, Larry Rivelli, Jareth Loveberry, 12-1

4. Confidence Game, Keith Desormeaux, James Graham, 20-1

5. Tapit Trice, Todd Pletcher, Luis Saez, 5-1

6. Kingsbarns, Todd Pletcher, Jose Ortiz, 12-1

7. Reincarnate, Tim Yakteen, John Velazquez, 50-1

8. Mage, Gustavo Delgado, Javier Castellano, 15-1

9. Skinner, John Shirreffs, Juan Hernandez, 20-1

10. Practical Move, Tim Yakteen, Ramon Vazquez, 10-1

11. Disarm, Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, 30-1

12 Jace’s Road, Brad Cox, Florent Geroux, 15-1

13. Sun Thunder, Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., 50-1

14. Angel of Empire, Brad Cox, Flavien Prat, 8-1

15. Forte, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr., 3-1

16. Raise Cain, Ben Colebrook, Gerardo Corrales, 50-1

17. Derma Sotogake, Hidetaka Otonashi, Christophe Lemaire, 10-1

18. Rocket Can, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 30-1

19. Lord Miles, Saffie Joseph Jr., Paco Lopez, 30-1

20. Continuar, Yoshito Yahagi, Ryusei Sakai, 50-1

Forte was the juvenile male champion in 2022 after winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Gulfstream Park. He has looked strong this year with wins in the Fountain of Youth Stakes in March and the Florida Derby at Gulfstream on April 1. Tapit Trice made his stakes debut in the Group 3 Tampa Bay Derby in March and got a win. He then had a wide trip but beat Verifying by a neck in the Blue Grass. Angel of Empire had a dominating win in the Risen Star in February and then looked great in winning the Arkansas Derby in April.

Darkhorse contenders to win the Kentucky Derby include Derma Sotogake who is listed at 10-1. The Japanese horse won the UAE Derby in March and almost broke the track record. Practical Move is also listed at 10-1 and he is unbeaten and coming off a win in the Santa Anita Derby. Two Phil’s is also among the darkhorse contenders at odds of 12-1. The horse had a 101 Beyer in the Jeff Ruby Steaks in late March, so you have to at least pay attention to him. Kingsbarn is another Todd Pletcher horse and he is listed at 12-1. Verifying and Jace’s Road, two more Brad Cox horses are listed at 15-1 along with Mage who is trained by Gustavo Delgado.

Kentucky Derby Format

Typically, we see 20 horses qualify for the Derby with up to four alternates in case something happens. The qualification process is extensive with horses accumulating points over the course of their two- and three-year-old seasons. The horses with the most points earn a spot in the Kentucky Derby field as long as their connections choose to race them.

A maximum of 20 horses run in the Kentucky Derby each year, and for the most part, the slots are always filled. The horses that end up as the favorites to win the Kentucky Derby are the ones which win major Grade 1 races held in March and April. The only exception is the UAE Derby winner who almost always ends up being one of the longer shots on the board. To this day, no horse which won the UAE Derby has come anywhere near winning the Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky Derby Winners (2000)

YEAR WINNER ODDS JOCKEY TRAINER TIME
2022 Rich Strike 80.00 Sonny Leon Eric Reed 2:02.61
2021 Mandaloun 26.00 Florent Geroux Brad Cox 2:01.36
2020 Authentic 8.40 John Velazquez Bob Baffert 2:00.61
2019 Country House 30.00 Flavien Prat Bill Mott 2:03.93
2018 Justify 2.90 Mike Smith Bob Baffert 2:04.20
2017 Always Dreaming 4.70 John Velazquez Todd Pletcher 2:03.59
2016 Nyquist 2.00 Mario Gutierrez Doug O'Neill 2:01.31
2015 American Pharoah 2.50 Victor Espinoza Bob Baffert 2:03.02
2014 California Chrome 2.50 Victor Espinoza Art Sherman 2:03.66
2013 Orb 5.00 Joel Rosario Shug McGaughey 2:02.89
2012 I'll Have Another 15.00 Mario Gutierrez Doug O'Neill 2:01.83
2011 Animal Kingdom 20.00 John Velazquez Graham Motion 2:02.04
2010 Super Saver 50.00 Calvin Borel Todd Pletcher 2:04.45
2009 Mine That Bird 8.00 Calvin Borel Bennie Woolley Jr. 2:02.66
2008 Big Brown 3.50 Kent Desormeaux Richard Dutrow 2:01.82
2007 Street Sense 4.50 Calvin Borel Carl Nafzger 2:02.17
2006 Barbaro 6.00 Edgar Prado Michael Matz 2:01.36
2005 Giacomo 50.30 Mike Smith John Shirreffs 2:02.75
2004 Smarty Jones 4.10 Stewart Elliott John Servis 2:04.06
2003 Funny Cide 12.80 Jose Santos Barclay Tagg 2:01.19
2002 War Emblem 20.50 Victor Espinoza Bob Baffert 2:01.13
2001 Monarchos 10.50 Jorge Chavez John Ward Jr. 1:59.97
2000 Fusaichi Pegasus 2.30 Kent Desormeaux Neil Drysdale 2:01.00

Authentic upset Tiz the Law to win the 2020 Kentucky Derby with the fastest time in almost two decades. Monarchos finished the 2001 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.97, but no horse had finished the race with a time under 2:01 since that point.

Horse Racing Betting Bonus

Fastest Times

YEAR HORSE TIME
1973 Secretariat 1:59.40
2001 Monarchos 1:59.97
1964 Northern Dancer 2:00.00
1985 Spend A Buck 2:00.20
1962 Decidedly 2:00.40

Running the Kentucky Derby in anything less than 2:01 is considered blazing fast. Secretariat has held the track record for nearly 50 years, running the 1973 Kentucky Debry in 1:59.40, and he is one of two horses to finish the race in under two minutes.

Longest Odds To Win

YEAR HORSE TIME
1913 Donerail 91.45
2022 Rich Strike 80
2005 Giacomo 50.30
2010 Super Saver 50
1940 Gallahadion 35.20
1999 Charismatic 31.30

Donerail had the longest odds of any horse that went on to win the Kentucky Derby, but Rich Strike gave him a run for his money in 2022. No one gave Rich Strike a chance to win the Run for the Roses as jockey Sonny Leon had not even won a graded stakes race prior to last May’s triumph. Additionally, Rich Strike was a late entrant and only made the field after Ethereal Road was scratched the day before the race. He started from the 20th post but went on to run one of the greatest races in the history of horse racing, picking his way through 14 horses in the last half-mile to beat Epicenter by ¾ of a length to win the Kentucky Derby.

Most Jockey Wins

JOCKEY WINS YEARS WON
Eddie Arcaro 5 1938, 1941, 1945, 1948, 1952
Bill Hartack 5 1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1969
Bill Shoemaker 4 1955, 1959, 1965, 1986
Angel Cordero Jr. 3 1974, 1976, 1985
Calvin Borel 3 2007, 2009, 2010
Earl Sande 3 1923, 1925, 1930
Gary Stevens 3 1988, 1995, 1997
Isaac Murphy 3 1894, 1890, 1891
Kent Desormeaux 3 1998, 2000, 2008
Victor Espinoza 3 2002, 2014, 2015
John Velazquez 3 2011, 2017, 2020

It's becoming tougher and tougher for modern jockeys to have success in a race like this one, but there are a few who really stand out. Calvin Borel has made a living out of winning the Kentucky Derby with late-charging horses who love running on the rail. Victor Espinoza won consecutive Derbies in 2014 and 2015 with California Chrome and American Pharoah. John Velazquez won three Kentucky Derby titles from 2011 to 2020.

Most Trainer Wins

TRAINER WINS YEARS WON
Ben Jones 6 1938, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1952
Bob Baffert 6 1997, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2018, 2020
D. Wayne Lukas 4 1988, 1995, 1996, 1999
Herbert Thompson 4 1921, 1926, 1932, 1933

If you thought it was tough to try to figure out which jockey was going to win the Kentucky Derby year in and year out, trying to pick the trainer is even harder. Of this list of four men who have won the Run for the Roses at least four times, only one is relatively modern in Bob Baffert. He has trained three recent winners with American Pharoah in 2015, Justify in 2018, and Authentic in 2020.

When Doug O'Neill won the race with Nyquist in 2016 that ended a stretch of 13 consecutive years in which a different trainer won the Kentucky Derby. O'Neill also trained I'll Have Another in 2012.

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